Deal conflict lands RBC in hot water. A buyout deal involving ambulance operator Rural/Metro Corp. landed Royal Bank of Canada’s RBC Capital Markets LLC unit in legal difficulty. The sales process saw one RBC team wooing the likely buyer and another RBC team giving the seller advice. On Friday, a Delaware judge ruled that the bank’s hunger for financing fees colored its advice and led Rural/Metro’s board to accept an unfair offer. RBC, meanwhile, said it’s mulling its options.

When a record crop becomes a farmer’s bad dream. Western Canadian farmers are applauding the Canadian government’s move to address a shipping bottleneck that has left them with record amounts of grain still sitting on their farms. But with many facing a cash crunch, some fear the move may not come in time to save their bottom line.

PKP’s bid for office gets tongues wagging. Quebec media baron Pierre-Karl Peladeau announced Sunday he would run as candidate for the separatist Parti Quebecois in the provincial’s April 7 provincial election. His move promises to shake up Quebec and Canadian politics.

Century-old Nebraska law a precedent for Quebec Charter of Values? The Quebec government pointed to the obscure state law as a precedent for its controversial charter of values. Turns out many Nebraskans aren’t even aware of the long-forgotten law, which bans religious garb in public schools. Read More »

The latest departure is David Fleck, head of Macquarie Group’s Canadian investment bank, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Fleck, who is based in Toronto, left Macquarie’s Canadian investment bank to pursue other opportunities, one of them said. Mr. Fleck’s departure comes just over two years after he took the firm’s helm in May 2011.

Mr. Fleck couldn’t be reached for comment.

Macquarie has named Dan Cristall, who heads up its oil and gas investment-banking business from Calgary, and Toronto-based Alex Rothwell, head of the dealer’s Canadian equities business, as co-heads to replace Mr. Fleck, the people familiar with the matter said. Read More »

Beleaguered BlackBerry is aiming to run a fast auction process that could be wrapped up by November.

Canadian investment banking veteran David Beatty leads a group seeking approval to set up a new institutional brokerage firm, according to a confidential regulatory application.

When Shell began a multibillion-dollar effort to tap China shale gas, it seemed like a can’t-miss wager. But it is finding that drilling for shale gas in China isn’t easy.

The Harper government announced a new – slightly softer – target for reducing the national debt, even as it presses other nations at the G20 summit to follow Canada’s lead in curbing debts and deficits.

The energy and mining sectors have been kind to Canadian investment banks in recent years, providing them with a healthy deal flow that’s brought fees and higher-league table positions.

Some analysts expect the flow to abate, amid mainly lower commodities prices, the difficulties some early-stage companies have had in raising debt, and investors’ desire for companies to return cash rather than make deals.

But one of the main beneficiaries of the flow, Bank of Montreal’s BMO Capital Markets, sees no let-up from the surge of deals and capital-raising from these sectors.

“The fundamentals are still there for a good year,” Andre Hidi, BMO’s head of global M&A, told Canada Real Time. Read More »

Canaccord Genuity plans to appoint former UBS AG banker Adrian Haxby head of its European investment banking arm as the Canadian securities firm continues its push into the region following the acquisition earlier this year of U.K. stock broker Collins Stewart Hawkpoint.

In his new role, Mr. Haxby will oversee Canaccord Genuity’s investment banking business in the U.K. and mainland Europe, the firm plans to say in a statement Wednesday. He will report to Alexis de Rosnay, the recently appointed chief executive of Canaccord Genuity in Europe.

Canaccord Genuity parent Canaccord Financial Inc. is in the midst of an international expansion following the purchase of Collins Stewart, which is known for advising midsize British firms on capital-markets issues, mergers and other deals. Read More »

About Canada Real Time

Canada Real Time provides insight and analysis into what’s making news in Canada, a country punching above its weight on the world stage thanks to its vast resources and strong banking sector. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, we take a look at developments in fields ranging from business to politics to culture. You can contact the editors at canadaeditors@dowjones.com